Saturday in pink

The eleventh chapter of this year's metropolitan season in Chuchle Arena Prague offered three top-races in its program, and horses whose jockeys wore pink colours won in all of them. Five-time Czech and eight-time Spanish champion Václav Janáček won twice for the Lokotrans stable, Tomáš Lukášek reached one win for the Statek Blata Český ráj stable before leaving for a winter engagement in Qatar.

In the 87th ARQANA Dr. Gersch Memorial Stakes (Class A, 7f, 135 ths 2yo), grey colt San Sebastian, owned and bred by Lokotrans, trained by Luboš Urbánek, made an unexpectedly great debut, and in his saddle Václav Janáček recorded his jubilee 1400th flat victory. 

The second win by Václav Janáček (he already achieved the 256th double) was already more expected, in the finish line of the most important comparative test of three-year-old and older 45th RENOMIA Czech Turf Stakes (Class A, 1 1/2m, 550 ths. czk) after a neck-and-neck battle in front of reigning Horse of the Year Gasparini, this year St Leger winner Magic Merlin, as a favourite, achieved his third lifetime win.

In the 8th LERAM Million (Class A, 7f, 600 ths. czk, 3yo+) Gallanticus was very close to victory, but in last strides 3yo Shahbandar (j. Lukášek, tr. Ingrid Janáčková) won by a three quarters lenght, in a new race record of 1:23,22.

Alena Plimlová, the leader of the BoKaBau Ladies' Cup (female riders' championship), won twice in other races of the day and made her third lifetime double.

An international contest among apprentice/amateur riders from Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary was also part of the program and Czech representative Anna Lebdušková became the winner of this race.

Results